Yes, local leaders have been well informed of the Marcellus Shale for quite some time now. Early last summer, the city in partnership with YSU held a sustainable energy conference which brought together technology leaders and entrepreneurs from across the country and over seas. The presence of natural gas locally was frequently discussed, and I personally talked with an individual who was heading an R&D project on drilling for this energy resource. He said he believed that within a short couple of years we can expect this region to be a hotspot in the production/distribution of natural gas.
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After reading a number of articles on the V&M expansion on the web, what struck me was a paragraph printed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The PD wrote, "Vallourec said it chose Youngtown, in part, because its in the middle of one of the largest shale formations in the world, called the Marcellus basin, and puts the company in close proximity to its potential customers. The deposit of brittle sedimentary rock, which contains a huge source of untapped natural gas, follows the path of the Appalachian mountains across New York, western Pennylvania, eastern Ohio, down to Maryland and West Virginia."
Are our politicians or local leaders listening to V&M's reasoning behind choosing Youngstown? I ask that question because I am wondering if this project could spearhead a local effort to make Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley a regional leader in natural gas/alternative fuel development? Think for a second; could the shale beneath us in the Marcellus basin lead to thousands of high-paying jobs for our area? I may be 20 years old, but I am not naive, this is an opportunity we cannot let slip away.
Murry Gerber, the CEO of EQT Corporation, a Pittsburgh based energy company, says that "new technologies have recently made it economically feasible to recover natural gas from the Marcellus formation; a resource that has the potential to stimulate the biggest economic boom since coal and oil availability sparked the Pennsylvania industrial revolution." If the CEO of a leading energy company in the region says recovering natural gas from the Marcellus basin is economically feasible, then what are we waiting on?
Once again, I am happy to see the V&M Star expansion move forward, but as I eluded to above, our politicians cannot pat themselves on the back all the way through Election Day, they need to get right back to work getting more jobs for the Mahoning Valley. If any of the politicians are out there listening, consider listening to the advice of this 20 year old; get talking with regional energy companies about developing the natural gas beneath us, because that could really turn the tide around in the Mahoning Valley.
| February 16, 2010
In what is some of the best news our community has seen in quite some time, V&M Star Steel has announced that they will move forward with a $650 million expansion of their North Side/Girard Facility next month, creating 350 manufacturing jobs upon completion. The news comes as a pleasant surprise for everyone in the Mahoning Valley, considering this area has not caught many breaks since the steel mills began shutting down at a rapid pace in the late 1970s. As happy as I am with this project moving forward, we cannot stop here and be satisfied. A lot more work needs to be done to get this community thriving again. Sure, 350 jobs is a good start, but we all know more must be done if the Mahoning Valley wants to make a rebound in the future.After reading a number of articles on the V&M expansion on the web, what struck me was a paragraph printed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The PD wrote, "Vallourec said it chose Youngtown, in part, because its in the middle of one of the largest shale formations in the world, called the Marcellus basin, and puts the company in close proximity to its potential customers. The deposit of brittle sedimentary rock, which contains a huge source of untapped natural gas, follows the path of the Appalachian mountains across New York, western Pennylvania, eastern Ohio, down to Maryland and West Virginia."
Are our politicians or local leaders listening to V&M's reasoning behind choosing Youngstown? I ask that question because I am wondering if this project could spearhead a local effort to make Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley a regional leader in natural gas/alternative fuel development? Think for a second; could the shale beneath us in the Marcellus basin lead to thousands of high-paying jobs for our area? I may be 20 years old, but I am not naive, this is an opportunity we cannot let slip away.
Murry Gerber, the CEO of EQT Corporation, a Pittsburgh based energy company, says that "new technologies have recently made it economically feasible to recover natural gas from the Marcellus formation; a resource that has the potential to stimulate the biggest economic boom since coal and oil availability sparked the Pennsylvania industrial revolution." If the CEO of a leading energy company in the region says recovering natural gas from the Marcellus basin is economically feasible, then what are we waiting on?
Once again, I am happy to see the V&M Star expansion move forward, but as I eluded to above, our politicians cannot pat themselves on the back all the way through Election Day, they need to get right back to work getting more jobs for the Mahoning Valley. If any of the politicians are out there listening, consider listening to the advice of this 20 year old; get talking with regional energy companies about developing the natural gas beneath us, because that could really turn the tide around in the Mahoning Valley.
Comments (5)
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There has been an increase in natural gas drilling in Hubbard township, where I live, over the past couple of years. I know of four wells nearby with a fifth being drilled over by I-80 just last month. Two more were drilled at Lansdowne airport last summer. There really isn't much more that needs to be built to support natural gas development, well casing is the chief consumable and that is what V&M produces.
Do you have a higher resolution pic of the V&M site rendering that you could share? Thanks
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Rick, that is the only picture I found of the rendering. If I come across one, I will let you know.
Someone needs to lead the charge to bring the energy companies to town and let them know what this Valley has to offer!
We can't wait a few years, we need to lead the charge NOW. Waiting does us know good, being proactive is the right approach on this particular issue.
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